Presidential Aide, Lalu Meet Education Minister on Inclusive Schooling Drive

 

by Yusuf Mohammed Lawan, Gombe

25th April, 2026

In a renewed push to make education accessible for all Nigerian children, the senior special Adviser on Special Needs and Equal Opportunities to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Hon. Mohammed Abba Isa, alongside Dr. James Lalu, immediate past Executive Secretary of National Commission of Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD), paid a working visit to the Honourable Minister of Education Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, CON, last Wednesday in his office to deliberate on the "Renewed Hope National Programme on Inclusive Education" 

The high level meeting focused on the challenges facing children with disabilities across the country. Many are still out of school, while millions already enrolled struggled with inaccessible infrastructure, shortage of trained teachers, and limited access to assistive devices.

Speaking during the meeting, the senior presidential Aide emphasized the current administration under president Tinubu's commitment to promoting educational development at all levels, stressing that under president Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, the Renewed Hope Programme has set ambitious targets to close these persistent gaps through impactful initiatives such as enrolling over 2 million children with disabilities in schools, retrofit 10,000 public schools to meet accessibility standards, training of 100,000 teachers in inclusive education practices, expanding assistive technologies and learning materials nationwide, among other beneficial initiatives. He said.

"The initiative is about diginity, equity and ensuring no child with disability is left behind" the senior presidential Aide remarked

He reaffirmed his commitment alongside his team, to delivering tangible results under the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr President. 

"No child will be left behind - inside or outside the classroom" he stressed 

Earlier the Hon. Minister had in his swift response expresses strong commitment to the initiative. Both parties agreed to convene an expanded meeting with heads of agencies and Directors in the Federal Ministry of Education to align policies and fast-tract implementation. 

The Renewed Hope National Programme on Inclusive and Accessible Education is a flagship policy of the Tinubu administration aimed at breaking barriers to education for Persons With disabilities.